Food Storage

During Katrina there was a RS single sister who needed to leave her home for protection. She had the impression to put as much food storage as she could into her car. She followed that impressions. She stopped at a shelter and when she went inside she discovered no one else had any food there. She spent her time preparing the food she brought and distributed it.

Food storage is for everyone. Food storage is important no matter what season of life you are in. Who do people rely on in an emergency? The person or organization who can help them The person who is prepared. A lot of peace will come knowing that you can rely on yourslef because you are prepared. Loved ones will be able to rely on you as well.

A woman that I met in Salt Lake told me a story about canning grape juice. She was a young mother and had received a lot of grapes while living in California. As she sealed the bottles she noticed none of them were sealing. She spent all day trying to seal many many bottles of grape juice to no avail. That night she knelt in prayer and asked her Heavenly Father to help seal those bottles. Right after she said "Amen" she could hear the lids begin to click, click, click.

Our Heavenly Father is so intimately intwined in our life. If you have come to a road block concerning food storage or you don't know where to begin, pray about it. You will receive direction and help.

A UK government commissioned study into food security has called for urgent action to avert global hunger. The report is the culmination of a two-year study, onvolving 400 experts from 35 countries.

"We know in the next 20 years the world population will increase to something like 8.3 billion people," he told BBC news.

"We know that the world is getting more prosperous and that the demand for basic commodities--food, water and energy--will be rising as that prosperity increases, increasing at the same time as the population." He warned: "We have 20 years to arguably deliver something of the order of 40% more food; 30% more available fresh water and of the order of 50% more energy.

He warns of a perfect storm of a growing population, climate change and diminishing resources for food production. The Foresight report says that the food production system will need to be radically changed.

Report: Urgent Action Needed to Avert Global Hunger

President Eyring spoke about his experience when the teton Dam broke in Idaho in a conference talk. He said:

"I was there as the people faced the terrible task of recovery. I saw the stake president gather his biships to lead the people. We were cut off in those first days from any supervision from outside. I was in the meeting of lecal leaders when a director from the federal disaster agency arrived. He tried to take over the meeting. With great force he began to list the things that he said needed to be done. as he read aloud each item, the stake president, who was sitting near him, said quietly, 'We've already done that.' After that went on for five or ten minutes, the federal official grew silent and sat down. He listened quietly as the stake president ook reports from the bishops and gave directions.

"For the meeting the next day, the federal disaster official arrived early. He sat toward the back. The stake president began the meeting. He took more reports, and he gave instructions. After a few minutes the federal official, who had come with all the authority and resources of his great agency said, "President Ricks, what would youlike us to do?"

President Eyring "Faith and Keys" Ensign, Nov 2004, 26-29

Being prepared is a great missionary opportunity as well.

I recieved a phone number of a woman in our church who lives in North Dakota and is part of a branch there. I called to ask her some questons about emergency preparedness resources a couple of years ago. She had put on a community fair that focused on emergency preparedness a year prior. She told me that recently officials in her city had contacted her and asked her to be part of a group who were working on an emergency reponse plan for their city.

I really love the story of Lehi and his family at the beginning for the Book of Mormon. I find evidence of Lehi being a great father, a loving husband, and a man full of faith as he tried to tell the people in Jerusalem to repent and then later as he chose to take his family into the wilderness. There is one place in the book of Nephi where Lehi does complain--and that was when Nephi broke his bow and they did not know how they were going to provide food for their family. When we see loved ones at the mercy of circumstances they cannot control (like having no food to eat), it is painful. We also read that the Lord provided food for Lehi and his family and we will be taken care of as well.....but only as we take the time and resources to prepare now.